Strengthening mental resilience in a fast-paced workplace
with Hella New Zealand
Strengthening mental resilience in a fast-paced workplace
with Hella New Zealand
Recognising that wellbeing is critical to both personal and organisational performance, Hella New Zealand invested in mental resilience training to help employees better understand and manage stress.
Working with the EMA, Hella delivered resilience training to employees from across the business, helping build awareness of how stress and anxiety develop, while providing practical strategies to respond more effectively to challenging situations.
Key outcomes
Mental resilience training delivered to employees across multiple levels of the organisation
Increased understanding of stress, anxiety and resilience
Practical tools to help employees recognise and manage challenges
Strong engagement and participation from staff
Positive feedback from attendees on both the content and delivery of the programme
The challenge
Supporting wellbeing in a fast-moving environment
Hella New Zealand is a designer and manufacturer of energy-efficient lighting products for the automotive, trucking and marine industries. As a fast-paced organisation operating as part of a global business, Hella recognised the importance of supporting employee wellbeing and resilience.
The company wanted to invest in health-related training that would provide practical value for employees while helping people navigate the pressures and uncertainty that can arise both at work and in everyday life. Mental resilience was identified as an important capability, particularly as organisations increasingly recognise the role resilience plays in helping people adapt to change, overcome setbacks and maintain wellbeing during challenging periods.
Understanding the risk
Looking beyond the symptoms of stress
The resilience training delivered at Hella was based on the idea that managing stress effectively requires understanding its underlying causes. Rather than focusing solely on coping with the symptoms of stress, the programme explored how stress and anxiety are triggered and how people can respond before negative thinking patterns become more significant challenges.
The training introduced participants to the neuroscience of stress and anxiety and connected these concepts to everyday experiences. This approach helped participants develop a better understanding of how thoughts, reactions and behaviours influence wellbeing. As presenter Peter Simunovich explained, while people cannot always control what happens to them, they can influence how they interpret and respond to events.
The response – building practical resilience across the workforce
Hella partnered with the EMA to deliver the Stress Management and Mental Resilience programme at its Auckland site. The training brought together 14 employees from across the organisation, including both shopfloor employees and management team members. The course combined theory and practical application, helping participants understand the science behind stress while providing tools and techniques they could use in everyday situations.
Making the learning accessible
The programme was designed to translate complex concepts into relatable experiences that participants could immediately connect with. Rather than creating a heavy or overly clinical learning environment, the training encouraged open discussion and engagement.
Encouraging participation
A key feature of the programme was the opportunity for participants to ask questions and explore topics in a supportive setting. This helped create an environment where people felt comfortable discussing issues that can often be sensitive or difficult to raise.
Providing practical tools
Participants were encouraged to recognise when challenges arise and apply techniques designed to help manage their thinking and responses before problems escalate.
The focus remained on building skills that could be applied both inside and outside of work.
“I have been working in corporate New Zealand for more than 20 years and have attended countless seminars, training courses and networking events – Peter is the best presenter I’ve seen (ever).”
– Reuben Hill, IT Applications Engineer
Building capability for wellbeing by creating a shared understanding of resilience
By bringing together employees from different parts of the business, Hella created a shared learning experience around mental resilience and wellbeing.
The training encouraged participants to better understand stress, develop practical coping strategies and reflect on how resilience can support both personal wellbeing and workplace performance.
Delivering the programme onsite also made it easier for employees from different branches to attend and participate in the learning experience together.
The impact – building confidence through understanding
Feedback from participants indicated a strong level of engagement with both the course content and delivery.
Employees valued the practical nature of the training and the way complex topics were explained in an accessible and engaging manner. Attendees highlighted the presenter’s ability to create rapport with participants, encourage discussion and make challenging topics approachable.
The programme helped strengthen understanding of mental resilience while giving employees practical tools they could use to navigate stress and uncertainty more effectively.
Key lessons – what you can learn from Hella New Zealand
Invest in resilience before problems escalate
Providing employees with practical resilience skills can help them navigate challenges more effectively and support long-term wellbeing.
Focus on understanding, not just symtoms
Helping people understand how stress and anxiety develop can create more meaningful and sustainable outcomes.
Make learning practical and relatable
Connecting concepts to real-life experiences helps participants apply what they learn in everyday situations.
Create space for open conversations
Supportive learning environments encourage engagement, discussion and confidence when addressing wellbeing topics.
Involve people across the organisation
Including employees from different roles and levels can help create a shared understanding of wellbeing and resilience.
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